Thursday, February 18, 2016

2016 -- Change Is Good

This has taking me awhile to post, so I apologize to anyone who follows my blog regularly or if I left anyone hanging. Truth is, I'm in and out of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, all the time so I see many of you on those platforms.

But to be quite frank, social media has taken a major backburner for me, in particular, blogging, as you may well be aware of. I'm sure I sound like a broken record because I've said it before, and I don't mean it as an excuse, but I just can't justify the amount of time it takes to maintain a worthwhile blog, or get around to visit other blogs.

Many of you do, and I respect that immensely. To those of you I don't get to correspond with regularly, I do miss you, and miss the way blogging was back in the old days. But I think it was part of a wheel that was always in motion, and at that time when we were all involved in blogfests and hops and sharing our journeys, it was only a single spoke that had its spotlight, and now its passed.

For me, anyway. My life has always been that way though. What works for me for awhile, doesn't work forever. Everything is always changing and evolving and moving with the times, and sometimes that means letting things go.

If you read my newsletter you know I've decided to leave the blogging world. I will leave this blog up because I believe it has a valuable archive resource for someone who may be starting out their journey in writing, or if someone is simply interested in my own. It's chronicled so much of my path.

And all of you who've stopped by here regularly over the past six years are such a vital part of that path. I truly love all of you for the support and friendship. I'm always an email away or Facebook message, or Tweet. Please know that while I'm leaving blogging, I'm not leaving you.

I've made some big changes with the start of this new year. Over the next year or so, I'll be giving up my Down the Rabbit Hole website, mainly because it's too time consuming and costly to maintain two websites on my own. I've opened up www.pkspixies.com as my main web hub, because that's where my focus is right now. I'm having so much fun with my pixie shop. I do monthly markets and periodic festivals and I've got a really great thing going with the locals.

My independent book titles have moved exclusively to Amazon, so my Amazon Author page will serve as my author hub from here on out. This is all in an effort to streamline my life and bring what's important to me most, to the forefront. I'm still writing, and working on revising some old stories as well as crafting some new non-fiction books.

I feel like I'm finally in control of my life again and it's invigorating.

Some of you know that over the last two years I'd given up my own writing projects to work on a memoir for the mother of an assault victim. Many of you showed me enormous support and encouragement for that, and it's so appreciated.

After much deliberation and lost sleep, I terminated my work on the memoir project. I wish the family nothing but good health and success in their future endeavors, but since the partnership did not turn out the way I'd hoped, I'm moving on.

I know 95% of my blog readers are other writers, so let me just say, from one writer to another, as frankly as I can put it without being offensive, assume you will be taken advantage of. Everywhere and anywhere. Protect yourself, and your work.

In going into a partnership with another writer or person, even if you trust them and they are your friend, do yourself a favor and collaborate a contract in the very beginning BEFORE you start work. Both sign it. You don't need lawyers for this. It's just a placeholder, but it's more likely to remind both parties of what they originally agreed to. You can refer back to this if expectations get hazy, or someone gets greedy.

Write down all expectations and do a web search for a contract template between joint authors. Use it to fit your needs, and print out copies for both of you.

All in all, I'm at peace with folding on this project. I still get inquiries on it because I sort of became the face and contact for through a couple of online fundraisers, but I know its because you're all so supportive and interested, and I'm more than happy to answer questions.

I did give the mother and daughter resources to continue their project on their own so they can keep all rights and royalties, which is what they ultimately want anyway.

So that's that. Weight off my chest.

It's going to be a great year! If we aren't already and friends on Facebook or Twitter or Pinterest or Instagram, please let me know so we can stay connected. I also put out newsletters of all events and updates. I'll still be around, I just won't be here on this blog. Feel free to email me anytime, if even just to say hello. :)

I'm sorry to see you go, Pk, particularly since I don't do any other social media (except Facebook), but I totally understand your need to streamline your life. Good luck with everything. And I know it took guts to share the story you share here - thank you for that. It's something all of us need to be aware of. Good luck to you in everything you do. I'll miss you.

This doesn't surprise me at all. I've been approached more than once about either writing someone else's true story or writing someone else's novel, and the answer has always been NO. For one thing, I can barely manage my own work on a good day. I just don't have the time or energy to give to someone else's. And to be honest, what writer is going to put their own projects on the back burner to do someone else's book?